Rain, Math, and a Bed for Two
by Black-Cat-Max
Summary: WillXIrma shoujo ai, sequel to A New Dimension. Rated so for caution. Ending edited 121905.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: First of all, I send a lot of love out to those who have read and reviewed my other works. It's people like that who inspire creativity.

Second, this little work is a sequel to "A New Dimension". It's not necessary to read that story first, but bits of this one will make a little more sense if you do.

…and to those inclined to comment on this one, I think the ending feels a little rushed. Ideas…?

Now, on with the show.

DISCLAIMER: Fanfics are like LEGOs, y'know? Even when you build something out of them and say "I made this", you know that you didn't make the blocks. In plain English, I'm saying that this is my story, but not my characters, settings, etc. That's all Disney/SIP stuff.

"Rain, Math, and a Bed for Two"

There are a lot of things you can't honestly say. The Earth is flat, alcohol raises intelligence, banana-yellow shoes are a good idea... many things just plain aren't true. One of the statements that has a very well-deserved place on that list would be that Irma Lair, Guardian of the Veil and mistress of water, was good at playing Minesweeper.

"Aww, hell" she said as her little smiley face died for what seemed like the millionth time that afternoon. "Why can't I figure this out?" She clicked on the face again, and this time lasted a full five minutes. She was preparing to attempt to wash all the mines out of the game when her mom stepped into the room.

"Will is on the phone, hon." She said.

"Thanks, mom." She stood to take it and leaned against a wall. "Squeeky's pizza. Pick-up or delivery?"

"Hey." If anyone expected Will to be confused by the odd response, they would have been disappointed. "I want a large sausage and peppers with some help me this math homework is killing me. For delivery to my place."

Irma made a face. "You'd invite me over and then inflict math on me? I thought we were friends!"

"Come on... I helped you with history last week."

"But I made it worth your while, didn't I?" Never mind that she had enjoyed every moment of it herself...

"That's okay." Will's voice suddenly sounded playful. "I can make this worth yours too." Then she added, a bit lower in tone, "if you know what I mean."

Irma imitated the mannerism. "And what do you mean?"

"Remember the cookies?"

"I'm officially on it. Thirty minutes or less."


	2. Chapter 2

The day couldn't have been better for homework - rain was coming down in sheets and going anywhere without boots and a heavy slicker would have been considered grounds for placement in an asylum. If you weren't a guardian with power over water, that is. As it was, Irma - with no more rain protection than her normal clothes and a backpack - strolled care-free from her mother's car to Will's front door while the rain simply sheeted off her as though she were wearing a full-body rain coat. She knocked once and was immediately admitted.

"I think you just won some kind of record", Will said as she led the way upstairs to her room. "I've never seen a grin that smug before."

"Well, you'd have one too if you just walked through the rain and didn't get wet." Irma lowered her voice to a whisper. "Of course, being wet might just compliment you."

"Got one-track mind much?"

"Nah." She waved a dismissive hand. "I just like being able to say it out loud instead of keeping it bottled up in my head. But anyway, what kind of mathematical barrel are we staring down today, oh fearless leader?"

"None other than long division. She wants us to review it before we start getting into trinomial equations."

"Oh man, how awful... that stuff gave me fits. How many problems?"

Will passed over the assignment with a look of defeat. "Twenty of them. And not a single one with the answer in the back of the book."

Irma looked the paper over once, then again. "Wow, sadistic cuss, isn't she?"

"I called her a few other things. So what's the diagnosis, doctor Irma? Can you save me?"

"Maybe. I think I remember a few of these from my own brush with numeric death earlier this week. Let me see here..." She took a seat at the desk, dropped her backpack beside it, picked up a pencil, and began doodling various steps of the division process. "Yeah, I definitely had this one on my assignment before. You subtract the three right here..." More doodling ensued as Will watched in awed silence. After two more minutes and a few more lines of work, Irma dropped the pencil and raised her hands. "Ta-da!"

"Wow!" Will picked it up and started looking it over. "You got the right answer that quickly?"

"Well, I think so."

"Good enough for me. How'd you do it?"

"It's not that hard when you get the basic part down-pat." Irma picked the pencil back up and pointed at various spots among the numbers. "See, you divide the first two digits in this number here by the one on the outside of the sign thingee, and then put the result up on top this little ceiling thing. Then you subtract this thing down here, get the result, drop this thing down over here, and then you just do the same thing over again."

"Yeah, I got all that stuff... but then you kinda run out of number after a while."

"That's where you use decimal places."

Will facepalmed. "It always comes down to decimals, doesn't it?"

"Yep. It's where numbers go to die."

"More like where my brain goes to die."

"Aww, it's not that bad." Irma stood from the chair and stepped behind it with a grin. "Here, you go ahead and give it a try."

"Y'know, that's exactly how my mom looked when she first had me try sauerkraut."

"Don't worry, this paper with pencil-scratch tastes a lot better."

"I'll bet it does." Will spent the next three-odd minutes working on the next problem, until she'd dragged it out to the end of the dividend. "Okay, so now I'm at the border of decimal-ville. Where's my passport?"

Irma reached over and pointed. "Well, you put a point followed by a zero here, and then the result after another point in that column up top there. Then you just keep on going and adding zeros until it works itself all the way out."

"...or until I keel over dead."

"You got it."


	3. Chapter 3

It was a good two hours and one dinner of green bean casserole later when the girls finally breathed a sigh of relief at the completion of the assignment (it would have been dinner and an hour less if they'd stayed focused, but we all have our shortcomings). Will snapped the Math book shut and dropped it onto her backpack, which sat beside the desk. "I'm so glad that's over. It would've taken me forever alone." She turned to her friend. "You're a life saver."

"What flavor?"

Will decided not to dignify that with any form of response.

Irma smiled and leaned down to look Will straight-on. "Y'know another thing I realized I really like about you?"

"The fact that when someone makes a lame joke you can douse them, Taranee can light them on fire, Cornelia can drop rocks on them, and Hay Lin finds it funny, whereas I have to just sit there and suffer."

It would later strike Irma as slightly embarrassing that since their study session the previous week she'd been left with a blank look a bit more often than before. "You are so going to be a detective some day."

"Actually, it was Hay Lin who made that observation a day or two ago, so I can't take the credit." Will stood. "Now, though, I think some cookies are in order."

"Take your time." Irma lifted her backpack. "I want to change. I've got an outfit to show you."

"Something new?"

"Actually, I guess you could say it's kind of old." Irma winked. "But I have a feeling you'll like it."

Will took the next second trying to decide whether to look confused or curious, but then left the room when she remembered it was Irma she was talking to, and that either one would have gotten her nowhere.


	4. Chapter 4

A few minutes later Will returned with the promised reward for their hard work. She knocked on the door to her room, and might have found doing so silly if it hadn't been for a sensation of dejah vu.

"Come on in", Irma said from within.

Will opened the door and stepped in. "So, what's this outfit you..." She trailed off as she noticed the slight change in environment since she'd stepped out a few minutes before. Actually, it was more like a change of occupant in a way. Specifically, Irma's jeans and shirt were neatly folded and resting on top of her backpack, while the Water Guardian now had a small blanket wrapped around herself from just under the arms down to her knees. And judging by the fact that nothing came down from under it and her shoulders were quite bare...

"Well?" Irma walked closer. "What do you think?"

"I... um..." Will absent-mindedly set the cookie plate on her desk and stared. Time was slowly teaching her how to roll with her best friends' idiosynchrasies, but the few seconds that had elapsed turned out not to be quite enough time to deal with that particular situation. Thusly, she did what perhaps anyone else would have done in the same situation; she turned a beautiful scarlet.

"That's about the reaction I thought I'd get." Irma stepped closer still, and put the hand that wasn't holding the blanket in place over her friend's shoulder. "Uh-oh, blank stare... looks like you're under a spell or something. Good thing I know how to break those..."

Will was fully concious, of course, but for whatever reason the only thing to do that seemed right as Irma leaned closer and closer to her was close her eyes as their lips met. It was every bit as pleasant as the few times before, and she hesitated only a second before returning the half-hug she was receiving in double measure. Irma responded in turn by placing her other hand around Will's back, an action the meaning of which the red-haired girl took only an instant to catch. In the next few seconds, without breaking their contact, she took the chance to wonder just what sight would meet her eyes when the inevitable point came when they parted. The idea of finding the blanket pooled on the floor and Irma... well...

At this moment the Water Guardian decided to go ahead and advance the situation, broke the kiss, and looked into her friend's eyes from a few inches away. Her playful smile was as far down as could be seen, which she ensured with a finger under Will's chin. "So", she said softly, "do I let you look down? Or are you worried about what you might see?"

In response, Will put one hand on the back of Irma's head. "Not at all", she whispered as she brought both of them together for a second kiss, this one a bit more passionate than the first in order to be a sufficient disguise for a brief light show.


	5. Chapter 5

Irma was only slightly surprised when she discovered that the floating sensation she'd just been enjoying wasn't just because Will happened to be a good kisser - but because she was creative. Looking down, she found herself in her Guardian apparel, and Will stepped back with her hands on her hips and a smile that plainly said "I win".

"I have to admit, that was pretty clever."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Really though, I wanted you to see..." Irma's demeanor changed drastically; it might have been the first time in her life she looked intentionally coy. "I mean, you do think I'm pretty, don't you?"

"No way." Will waved her hand and made a face. "Didn't you know I only kiss ugly girls?"

"Y'know, you are so close to getting a bath right here and now..."

"It's okay, I could probably use one."

Irma sighed, then reached over and touched the tiny bulge under Will's shirt that was obviously the Heart. "Okay, can I get back to my seduction now?" She leaned close with a sly smile that could have won awards. "I haven't exactly got all night."

If Irma's smile was sly, Will's was positively devious. "Actually, you do have all night. When your mom answered the phone, I told her the homework was a doozie, and that it might take all night to manage, so I asked if you could stay over in case it went extra hours." She paused for dramatic effect. "And of course, I cleared it with my mom before I even asked."

The silence stretched a moment with neither girl so much as changing expression.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"One hundred percent", Will replied.

Irma finally lost the smirk, collapsed into Will's arms, and proceeded to laugh her metaphorical head off. "Will, I have to hand it to you. You've got some real brains under that pretty red mop-top of yours."

Will responded by poking Irma's exposed midriff. "...and speaking of 'under'..." She touched the spot where the Heart hung beneath her shirt, and with a shimmer, Irma's Guardian attaire faded away, leaving her in a pair of shorts and a tube top.

"So", the brown-haired girl said, "what do you think?"

It was Will's turn for a chuckle. "I think I've been had once again."

"Well, after you made me kiss that frog and there was no prince, what was I supposed to do?"

"I dunno, maybe accept that I won?"

"Ha! That might be the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Irma stepped away and pointed at Will with a smile. "Even if you're learning from me, I've got a lot more tricks up my sleeve."

"You mean up your lack of sleeves?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant."

"So then...?"

"So then."

"Cookies?"

"Heck yeah."


	6. Chapter 6

An hour, some cookies, and a bit of TV-watching later, the dynamic duo was preparing for parentally-imposed bedtime with teeth-brushing, hair-brushing, and a yawn now and then.

"So", Irma said after the preparations were all but complete, "now we face a little predicament."

"...and what would that be?" Her intrepid comrade asked.

"Well, first of all, because you didn't see fit to tell me that I was going to be sleeping here, I need something to sleep in and a spot to do so, don't I? I mean, you've got a nice floor and all, but..." She held her hands up and deliberately trailed off.

"Oh", Will responded, "I thought my bed would be the answer to both of those things." She sat on said bed herself and patted the pillow. "You looked so good in just that blanket, y'know..."

Irma smiled. "You're really getting into this, aren't you?"

"Says miss 'being-wet-would-suit-you'."

"Well, it just might..." the brunette girl walked over and sat as well. "As far as I can tell, you didn't stop being pretty since last week. And making your clothes cling to you would accent that"

Will hugged her friend with a smile of her own. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, let's find you something to wear. I think I've got another set of frog-print pajamas around here somewhere."

A pair of pretty blue eyes rolled in response, and after both a few minutes of searching and a change of wardrobe (during which Will dutifully left the room), the two of them matched quite well.

"You look absolutely priceless", Will said. "I'd give a lot for a camera right now."

Irma tugged on the pajama top - it was a few years old, and hence just a bit snug - but didn't seem worried about sleeping in it. "Yeah, you must be feeling pretty smug right now."

"Oh sure. The great Guardian of Water is going to grace my humble bed." Will waved a finger in the air. "Whoop-de-doo."

"Hey, I promise it'll be good. So long as there are no comments on bed-wetting."

"Consider it a promise."

"Good. Say, Will..."

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking..." Irma put on the same coy look she'd used earlier. "Tonight kinda.. y'know... gives us a unique opportunity. I've actually got you all to myself here, and... well... I'd like to try something. Something we've never done before."

"Erm..." Will paused a moment - the comment could have had any number of meanings in theory, but given the context... could Irm really be talking about...? It seemed ridiculous to think, but better safe than sorry. "What exactly are you thinking of?"

"Well," Irma said as she put a hand on Will's shoulder and motioned for her to lie back, "I was thinking about how nice it feels to hug you, and how relaxed I feel when your arms are around me, and when we kiss..."

Will had to agree with those sentiments; it certainly was pleasant and relaxing to give a physical aspect to that bond of trust and companionship between them that she was getting more and more comfortable with referring to as 'love'. With that in mind, she allowed herself to settle onto her back, with her arms at her sides. "Well, like what then?"

Irma narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Something like this." Then she proceeded to swing one leg up and over so that she was straddling the redhead's lap.

Though perhaps it should have, the phrase 'dejah vu' didn't manage to cross Will's mind as, for the second time that day, her ability to react was short-circuited and she blushed furiously.

Without missing a beat, Irma leaned over so that they were nose-to-nose. "Now, I really want to do this, but I promise that all you have to do is say the word and I'll stop. And no matter what", she whispered, "I want you to remember one very important thing."

"And..." Will hesitated as her nervousness was at least partially abetted by a bit of anticipation. They was no doubt about it - they were going to kiss, maybe even do more, and it was going to be wonderful. "...and what's that?"

In a whisper that was just barely loud enough to be heard and a smile that would have worried a demon, Irma replied; "That I'm the getter, and you're the gotten."

And with that, Will found herself being energetically tickled.


	7. Chapter 7

After a few minutes' worth of protests, feeble attempts to escape Irma's weight pinning her down, and peals of laughter, Will was finally released and allowed to settle down.

"You... are the most evil girl... in the entire world..." she gasped between heavy breaths of fresh air.

"You forgot most clever", Irma replied.

"What happened... to that... 'I'll stop when you say the word'?"

"You didn't."

"What!"

Irma smiled wider than ever as she counted off her fingers. "You said 'no', 'stop', and 'I can't move' a bunch of times, but you never said 'the word'."

"Y'know, if I didn't like you so much, I'd hate you."

"You ought to be thanking me for tiring you out some more." Irma winked. "Well anyway, it's good to know that if the Guardian thing doesn't work out, I can join the bad guys and still have a job."

"So, does that mean you'd be dating Cedric?"

"Sure. You and Phobos can double-date with us."

Will lay her head on her pillow. "I swear, if I have nightmares about that tonight..."

"...then I'll save you from them", Irma said as she mimiced the action and pulled the blanket over them both. "G'night frog princess."


	8. Chapter 8

New note for this edited version of the ending… as a disclaimer, the last line there is a lyric from the song "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley (hope I got that spelling right). …and as the illustrious Big-Wired pointed out, if the end seems like a cutoff, it's a set-up.

---------------------------------------------------

Bright and early the next morning, Will's mother answered a knock at the door and found Hay Lin standing there with a basket in one hand.

"Good morning, Ms. Vandom! I've got a few things to show Will! Can I come in?"

"Sure", Susan replied. "Irma stayed over last night... I don't think they're up yet." She paused. "Not that Will getting up at a decent hour wouldn't be a good idea..."

"Okay then, I'll give them a little wake-up call." Hay Lin rushed inside and up the stairs. Without a second's hesitation, she opened Will's door...

...and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Will halfway curled up and Irma spooned around her, both of them looking as placid as could be. Her cheeks grew a bit rosy, and she turned from the scene with a smile. "I suppose I should learn to knock first", she whispered to herself. With that, she stepped out of the room, closed the door behind her, and proceeded to knock.

"Wha... what time...?" Will could be heard fumbling around, followed by a loud protest from Irma.

"That was my head!" The Water Guardian exclaimed. "Who's there?"

"Just me!" Hay lin replied. "I've got some new designs I wanted to show off! Are you two... um... busy in there?"

"Um..." Will began.

"We're, um..." Irma tried to follow up.

"Never mind", the Wind Guardian said cheerfully. "I'll be at home. Just call me when you're both up to the task of thinking coherently." With that, she jogged back downstairs and out the door humming.

"You don't suppose she suspected...?" Irma let the thought trail off.

"No way", Will replied. "There's not a chance." She paused a moment before looking her friend in the eyes. "...is there?"

The good news for both of them was that their mutual friend and comrade didn't suspect the truth. The bad news was that the reason for that fact was that she knew, just as surely as she knew there'd be a lot of things they'd be doing for her in order to keep her quiet. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised", she thought aloud to herself. "They're perfect for each other now that I think about it." She allowed herself a dreamy sigh. "I wonder if I look that cute with her..."

...and on she went, singing softly to herself.

"I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, I see you walking real slow and you're smiling at everyone..."

END... or is it?


End file.
